Autoliv Asp, Incorporated

Key Safety Systems, Inc.

Robert E Ver Hoven

Jon E Burrow

Mark F Gray

Richard A Boelstler

Timothy J Cahill

Jonathon Boughner

David Funnell

David B Figlioli

Matthias Bäker

A noise dampening tongue assembly for use as part of a seat belt restraining system includes a base plate, a cover material, and a soft touch material. The base plate has a surface with a lower portion for engagement with a clamping member and an upper portion with a slot through which a belt webbing extends. The lower portion defines a bottom perimeter for the tongue assembly. The cover material contacts the base plate, such that it defines at least a portion of a top perimeter, a front-side, and a back-side of the tongue assembly. The soft touch material contacts the surface of the cover material, such that the soft touch material defines at least a portion of a right perimeter and left perimeter of the tongue assembly and extends horizontally across the surface of the cover material to connect the soft touch material located at right and left perimeters.

Noise dampening tongues for use in a seat belt restraining system and methods of making the same

A guide that can be included as part of a pretensioner for a motor vehicle belt restraint system. The pretensioner includes a frame having walls that define an interior compartment. Located within the interior compartment is a piston assembly having a gas generator in communication with a piston. The gas generator creates an expanding gas that causes movement of the piston and applies tension to a seatbelt of the belt restraint system. The guide includes an opening through which the seatbelt passes and that causes the seatbelt to form a reduced width configuration upon exiting the guide.

Reduced width linear pretensioner for motor vehicle seatbelt restraint systems

A one-way locking assembly having an axially moveable member extending through a locking structure. The locking structure including an engagement member contacting an exterior surface of the axially moveable member and being movable relative to the exterior surface of the moveable member in a first direction while being substantially immovable along the outer surface of the moveable member in a direction opposite to the first direction. The engagement member further including a pair of lock arms extending radially inward from a circumferential frame and terminating in distal ends engaging the exterior surface of the moveable member.

One-way locking linear pretensioner

A belt retractor having ELR and ALR modes of operation is disclosed. The retractor comprises a sensor pawl movable between a released and a locked position with one or more teeth of a ratchet wheel rotatable with a spool of the retractor; the sensor pawl forming part of both ELR and ALR locking mechanisms. A spring biased first lever is rotatable to a first position and when in the first position urges the sensor pawl toward engagement with the ratchet wheel. The lever is movable to a second position, which permits the sensor pawl to move away from the ratchet wheel teeth thereby preventing the retractor from entering into its ALR mode of operation. The lever, when in its second position, biases the sensor pawl into engagement with a cooperating inertial mass that is part of a vehicle sensitive locking mechanism of the seat belt retractor. This bias force operative on the sensor pawl is effective to limit the motion of the inertial mass to lessen or eliminate vibrational movement of the inertial mass relative to the sensor pawl and movement relative to a support basket or support structure that holds the inertial mass thereby lessening acoustic and vibrational noise created by the movement and rattling of the sensor pawl and/or inertial mass.

Growing community of inventors

Harsens Island, MI, United States of America

Robert E Ver Hoven